The wind swept through Hinata's long dark hair as her feet pounded the ground repetitiously. Her pulse beating wildly as she struggled to control her heavy, erratic breathes. Her legs stung with the pain of overuse and she shut her eyes and focused on the sweet touch of the wind. Somehow, even the slightest brush from the invisible breeze was enough to calm her doubts and strengthen her resolve. She could feel her pace quicken as the wind flew by every part of her exposed skin. Hinata breathed in deeply, as she gave herself entirely to the intoxicating experience, knowing it would be over in a few short moments. Then with a bittersweet satisfaction, Hinata crossed the ten mile mark, relief flooding through her as her burning legs came to a halt, mingled with a deep sadness.
Tired, Hinata checked the time on her watch and scrunched her nose in disappointment. She was seconds behind her best time. Frustrated, Hinata threw her hands over her head and walked around in an irritated circle. She had tried so hard today, so why couldn't she beat her best time? No matter what she did, it seemed as though she was second place. Hinata growled in irritation before making her way back toward the Hyuga compound, her mind on the cold bath waiting for her at home and the unfinished pages of her book.
When entered the great Hyuga Mansion, she quickly made her way upstairs, careful not to make any noise and locked herself in her room. She wasted no time drawing a nice cold bath and discarding the hot, sweaty clothes from her body. Quickly she made her way into her large bedroom, picked up the forgotten novel on her cherry wood dresser and hastily returned to the bathroom connected to her room. Hinata then placed the book on the side of her large marble bathtub and gently emersed herself into the welcoming water. Immediately, the chill temperature of the water sent a pleasant shiver up Hinata's long back as the heat of her body mixed with the water. She closed her eyes and relished the euphoric pleasure of the water cooling her over heated body. Then, she lazily lifted her hand, blindly picking up the novel she had started months before, but had never found the time to finish.
Carefully she opened the pages with her damp fingers and greedily began running her eyes over the page. It wasn't long before she was taken away, to another world, one filled with vampires and other magical creatures, where anything could happen, where she was passionately in love and the love of her life risked his life to be with her. Hinata huddled in the water for hours, completely unaware of the world outside. Suddenly there was a knock on her door.
"Hinata!" A familiar voice came from the other side of her bathroom door.
Hinata sighed at the unwanted interruption.
"Yes Hanabi?" She called, wishing her sister would just go away.
"Lunch is ready, father expects you to be there today." Her sister called through the door.
Hinata rolled her eyes. "Let him know I'll be down in a few minutes."
"As you wish." Hanabi said mockingly before making her way out of her sister's room.
Hinata waited for the sound of her bedroom door shutting behind her sister before she reluctantly pushed herself out of the bathtub. She placed the book down on the white bathroom counter and as she dried herself off, her mind wandering back to the story. She wished she could lose herself inside one of her stories, that she could leave the harsh realities of her life behind and enter a world where everything had a place and happy endings were possible, but most of all, she wished she could find love, the passionate, earth shattering love that she had read so much about in her novels. She wanted to experience it, to taste it, to live it. Hinata stared at her reflection in the mirror, all her inadequacies staring back at her, completely naked in front of her eyes. A silent tear slid down Hinata's face as she studied her reflection in the mirror, her dreams shattered by a single look, as a dark face passed through her mind.
It had been a year and half since he had left and just the thought of his face still made her heart ache as if she were the same sixteen year old girl he had left. She he was on an important mission, but still, she couldn't help the lonely feeling she had inside. He had been the first person to make her sparkle and her insides tingle with anticipation. The day he left, her heart was filled with more grief then any disappointed look from her father could ignite. She didn't care of the unknowing pain he had caused her, all she cared about was the fact she wouldn't be able to see his smiling face anymore. There would be no more lazy afternoons together or small knocks on her door followed by his endearing voice calling her out to train.
Hinata threw on a black tank top and a pair of black shorts and made her way down the long wooden staircase. She wasn't looking forward to this lunch. Her father had been trying to make more of an effort in reaching out to her since he had disinherited her as the Hyuga heir, but she found kindness did not suit her father very well. He was far better at leading the clan than sharing his feelings.
Hinata opened the door to the expansive dining area and took her seat toward the head of the table. She found the large cherry wood table to be a bit superfluous for the four people who occupied it, but her father insisted that they dine there, like civilized human beings, instead out in the garden as Hinata had boldly suggested one day.
"I see you're still being depressed today." Hiashi noted as he stared at his daughter's less than suitable attire and the glum look pasted on her delicate face.
"Good day father." Hinata said timidly as she averted her eyes.
"Depression will get you nowhere in life and if you had truly wanted to be the heiress of this clan, you would have learned that lesson a long time ago and trained harder." Hiashi said in a stern voice.
"Yes father." Hinata said quietly as she stared down at the table, her hand playing with the utensils laid out before her. She dare not look at her father as she silently cursed him for his ignorant assumptions and narrow minded view of the world. She found it hard to believe that he thought she ever wanted to be the heir to the clan in the first place. She had never wished for it and had been relieved when the burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Her father's white eyes lingered on his oldest daughter as she refused to meet his gaze. Across the table, she could feel her cousins inquiring eyes on her as well. It was scary how much her cousin and her father resembled one another. Both were wearing long white robes and had long black hair and the silvery white eyes of the Hyuga. Even their facial structure was similar, if a person didn't know any better, they could be mistaken for father and son. The only real difference between the two, was their demeanor.
They both maintained the distant, cold and calculating emotions of a leader, but as Hinata's father stared at her with a deep disappointment and regret, Neji looked at her with a concerned warmth her father could never find or replicate. Hinata wiggled uncomfortably in her chair as the two men stared down at her and she desperately turned her attention to her sister.
"Hanabi, I hear that your final exam at the academy is fast approaching, have you been studying?" Hinata asked as a servant served her steaming bowl of soup.
"Yes, I have." Hanabi answered enthusiastically, her small body moving in her chair every time she spoke. Hinata watched her sister as she exuberantly told her how hard she had been training and practicing. Her eagerness and lust for life always softened and comforted Hinata. She admired her sister for being everything she could not, even more so because she was so young. Hanabi had never struggled with her self-esteem as Hinata had and she had been blessed with the strength and quick wit that Hinata lacked. Hinata listened to her sister with a smile painted on her face.
"It is good to hear you have been working hard Hanabi, perhaps Hinata should take a lesson a from you and apply herself to her training more." Hinata felt the slight as her father eloquently praised her sister, while slighting her in the process.
"Hinata's skills have improved greatly, Hiashi." Neji spoke for the first time since Hinata had entered the room. "If my information is correct, and my intel is always correct, then Hinata has a test of her own that she should be training for."
Hinata looked at her cousin suspiciously, but his face betrayed no hint of emotion.
"Oh, and what test is that Hinata?" Her father asked with genuine curiosity. Hinata fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair as Neji continued to sit emotionless in his chair.
"Come on Hinata, tell us what's going." Hanabi encouraged her older sister, the suspense pulling her out of her chair.
"I-um, well, Lady Tsunade has chosen me for Jonin testing." Hinata announced uncertainly.
Hinata watched the amused expression on her father's face as he noted the uncertainty in her demeanor.
"How ironic." He stated with a smile. "Well, you should be training, you can't expect to pass when you haven't done anything to prepare." Hiashi tried to sound encouraging, but his words stabbed at Hinata.
"I-I have been training father. T-that's why I haven't been able to dine with you lately, remember?" Hiashi looked at Hinata in deep thought.
"No, I don't remember you mentioning a thing about training." He said as he shrugged his shoulders and narrowed his eyes at Hinata.
"You shouldn't lie my dear, it doesn't reflect well on yourself or our clan." Hinata bit her lip at his words and stared longingly at Neji.
"Sir, with all do respect, I have been training your daughter for the last few months and she has surpassed my expectations in every way. Surely you remember me telling you how much she has improved and how hard she has been working these last few months."
Hiashi stared at Neji, bewildered by his nephews response.
"Yes Neji, now that you mention it, I do remember you mentioning those things to me. I am sorry Hinata, please forgive my remarks, it must be my old age and the stress of leading the clan getting to me." He said with a hearty laugh.
Hinata continued to stare at her soup as her father's hollow laugh echoed through her ears. Hinata spent the rest of lunch longing for it to be over, as Hanabi eventually took over the conversation, becoming the center of their father's attention. Hinata could feel Neji's knowing eyes watching her and when her father finally stood at the head of the table and excused himself, Hinata pushed herself out of her chair and ran for straight to her room, where she threw herself onto her bed, tears running freely down her face. How could he be so heartless? She thought as she pulled her legs into her chest, her eyes glistening in the light as she spotted the book on her dresser. Instantly, the image of the wild eyed dark haired boy ran through her mind and her heart called to him, like it had many times before.
"I wish you were here now, to take me away." She cried softly to herself. "If only you could see me now." Hinata laid quietly in her bed, her father's words ripping through her heart as she slowly drifted to sleep. The face of her distant shinobi the last image she remembered seeing as she desperately clung to any shred of happiness.
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A/N: Please tell me what you think, so leave a review =] And for those of you that read Young Hearts, this is not the sequel, it's a different story, I'll start the sequel sometime soon, I promise. =]